mostly wine stuff

[cantunamunch]

It's a happy place

 

[Uncle-A]

Is it too soon to talk about summer wines? My daughter was telling me about something called Wolffer Estate "Summer in a Bottle" Rose Table Wine from Long Island NY. It is a fancy bottle, see the photo.

 

[cantunamunch]

Is it too soon to talk about summer wines?

Can we do Maywines first?

 

[Uncle-A]

Can we do Maywines first?

Sure, why not, I bet you have a few suggestions.

 

[Uncle-A]

I tried a bottle of 14 Hands Merlot, even though I am not a fan of Merlot. This is a 2013 vintage and did nothing to change my mind. I have had other wine by 14 Hands that weren't bad but this was not one of them. Any PUGSKI wine'os know much about 14 Hands?

 

[doc]

Any PUGSKI wine'os know much about 14 Hands?

Its a budget, high volume winery in WA state. Some of their wines are a decent value (if your sweet spot is $9 - $15 wine).
On the plus side, they're now selling some of their wines in cans. Beer cans.

 

[Uncle-A]

Its a budget, high volume winery in WA state. Some of their wines are a decent value (if your sweet spot is $9 - $15 wine).
On the plus side, they're now selling some of their wines in cans. Beer cans.

In beer cans OMG what is this world coming to, first screw top bottle now beer cans.

 

[doc]

https://www.14hands.com/

The cans ...

 

[cantunamunch]

https://www.14hands.com/

The cans ...

I think they should totally do that with wine spritzers. Just enough soda to take the wine down to 6% ish

 

[skibob]

I like cans (and tetrapaks) as a convenience item. Boxes too (which are much more popular in Europe). But you'll never find fine wine in them. Fine wine has to breathe. Slowly and evenly.

10 years ago everbody said screwcaps were the way of the future. Then the cork manufacturers got their act together and reduced the incidence of TCA ("corked" wine) from 6% to <.5%. And then everybody realized that a glass bottle and a natural cork really is the best way to package fine wine.

I've found exactly 2 corked bottles in the last 5 years (on wine that isn't from before the QC revolution).

 

[Uncle-A]

I am shocked at all the white wine with screw top bottles. Not as many on the reds.

 

[aubergine]

I am shocked at all the white wine with screw top bottles. Not as many on the reds.

The typical white is more likely to be consumed younger, so aging / oxygen permeation is less of an issue (not as much advantage to a natural cork closure). And I think TCA is more obnoxious in whites.

The corked rates back in the 70's were pretty bad. When we open older bottles we can end up with a lot of disappointments.

 

[mdf]

The corked rates back in the 70's were pretty bad. When we open older bottles we can end up with a lot of disappointments.

In the late 80's or maybe early 90's we were in a "newcomer's" wine club that was large enough that we had 3 or more bottles of each wine. The amount of bottle variation (including cases where one side of the room loved it and the other threw it out) was astounding.

It was so long ago that it may not be relevant, but the frequency of bad bottles (from worst to best) was Italy, France, California, Australia. There were essentially zero bad bottles from AU. Obviously, there are other wine regions in the world, but either we didn't have enough to form an assessment, or I've forgotten.

 

[aubergine]

In the late 80's or maybe early 90's we were in a "newcomer's" wine club that was large enough that we had 3 or more bottles of each wine. The amount of bottle variation (including cases where one side of the room loved it and the other threw it out) was astounding.

It was so long ago that it may not be relevant, but the frequency of bad bottles (from worst to best) was Italy, France, California, Australia. There were essentially zero bad bottles from AU. Obviously, there are other wine regions in the world, but either we didn't have enough to form an assessment, or I've forgotten.

Spain was pretty bad for a while too. If you are really into wine you should check out wineberzerkers or the bordeauxwineenthusiasts sites.

 

[mdf]

The other enlightening thing was the sub-critical bottle variation. By that I mean the situations where a bottle had not obviously gone bad, but the drinkers just did not think it was very good. Yet on the other side of the room, drinking from a different bottle of the same wine, everyone loved it.

 

[cantunamunch]

10 years ago everbody said screwcaps were the way of the future. Then the cork manufacturers got their act together and reduced the incidence of TCA ("corked" wine) from 6% to <.5%. And then everybody realized that a glass bottle and a natural cork really is the best way to package fine wine.

So what's the end story on synthetic cork? Is that part of the <.5%? Back in the '00s there were at least three development roads - rubber or polymer added processed cork (semi-synth), skin-wrapped fibrous, and closed cell foam.

Are south american wineries still big on semi synth or is that a write-off? I haven't seen a skin-wrapped fibrous cork in a long while, and closed cell foam seems to be a budget Italian thing. Is that accurate or a skewed perspective?

 

[skibob]

So what's the end story on synthetic cork? Is that part of the <.5%? Back in the '00s there were at least three development roads - rubber or polymer added processed cork (semi-synth), skin-wrapped fibrous, and closed cell foam.

Are south american wineries still big on semi synth or is that a write-off? I haven't seen a skin-wrapped fibrous cork in a long while, and closed cell foam seems to be a budget Italian thing. Is that accurate or a skewed perspective?

That's about right. They have improved dramatically along with natural cork. But now they are a "cheap" alternative, where the manufacturers had been trying to market them as a safe alternative to natural.

 

[Uncle-A]

Cooked some steaks on the grill tonight and we had to open a couple of bottles of wine. Very good

 

[mdf]

I'm a wine glass snob. I really think a thin-edged, elegant glass makes the wine experience more fun.
Tonight at dinner in a local restaurant I noticed the glasses -- thin, light, the modern conical shape. On close inspection, clearly molded with a very tiny rolled edge, but at first impression they look like expensive cut-edge blown glasses. The lip is totally not noticable unless you look for it.

Holdng them "just so" in the light, I see a "Master's Reserve" mark on the base. So I have to google.... they are Libby! And less than $50 for a case of 12! In the future maybe I should have a case shipped to the ski condo for each Gatherihng and leave them behind! (I'm joking, but just barely.)

 

[Tony S]

I'm a wine glass snob. I really think a thin-edged, elegant glass makes the wine experience more fun.
Tonight at dinner in a local restaurant I noticed the glasses -- thin, light, the modern conical shape. On close inspection, clearly molded with a very tiny rolled edge, but at first impression they look like expensive cut-edge blown glasses. The lip is totally not noticable unless you look for it.

Holdng them "just so" in the light, I see a "Master's Reserve" mark on the base. So I have to google.... they are Libby! And less than $50 for a case of 12! In the future maybe I should have a case shipped to the ski condo for each Gatherihng and leave them behind! (I'm joking, but just barely.)

Dibs on a bedroom in that condo now.